Just off of Hausman Road, about halfway between Kyle Seale and Babcock lies a small trailhead that does not get a lot of use, the Huesta Trailhead. There are not a lot of parking spaces, but I have never seen it too busy.
The Huesta Creek Trail itself is only about 1.25 miles, but the magic of it is that it links to the Leon Creek trail, the newly constructed Maverick Creek Trail, and some single track offroad in Bamberger park. You can do anything here: a short walk, a 5k, a marathon, or even some offroad running.
The trail is nice wide concrete with very little grade. You start out going South through the Huesta Creek flood control area, and go under a drainage bridge on Babcock. If there has been any significant rain lately, this will be either muddy or flooded out:
After about 1/2 mile, the trail widens onto Old Babcock road, which is closed off to any car traffic. Yep, you get the whole road to yourself. After another 1/2 mile or so you will come to the intersection of the Leon Creek trail. Turn right and continue along Old Babcock road, and you will get to the second underpass for (new) Babcock road. Go another 100 yards or so and turn back for the return trip, and you will have done a nice flat 5k.
Offroad Options
On my most recent run here, I did something a bit different. I explored the newly constructed Maverick trail, which is a left turn directly after the first Babcock underpass. There is a water crossing structure you go across, and then to your right will be a single track trail to start on a little offroad.
The single track continues to parallel the Maverick Creek Trail and exits at the Hausman intersection. As you can see from the GPS track above, there is also a loop through Bird of Prey you can do, and a few options for linking to the Bamberger Park offroad network. The Bird of Prey tracks are pretty flat and easy, just a nice jog in the woods.
Pro Tips
- Lesser used trailhead with good access to the Leon Creek system
- Offroad options are there if you know where to look.
- Has a porta-potty.
- Easy short walk or a flat 5k with nice scenery
- Goes along Old Babcock road and the Birds of Prey refuge – very scenic!
- There are a few interpretive signs in the Huesta flood control area
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